Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuengirola and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuengirola: $1,687 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Nosara despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Fuengirola
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Fuengirola Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fuengirola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,687

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fuengirola and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fuengirola and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,687 per month in Fuengirola vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Fuengirola $1,687
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,515 per month in Fuengirola vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Fuengirola $2,515
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,342 per month in Fuengirola vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Fuengirola $3,342
Nosara $3,818

Fuengirola is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fuengirola and Nosara sit above the global median – Fuengirola by 25%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.85 €14.10

$12.35 ₡5,539

28.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

7.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 €9.06

$7.52 ₡3,373

35.37%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$4.41 ₡1,978

-39.91%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.74 ₡780

41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.31 ₡587

56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €3.03

$3.28 ₡1,471

3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$4.47 ₡2,004

0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.56 ₡701

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.02 ₡1,355

-52.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.85%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.58

$3.57 ₡1,603

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 €13.77

$7.43 ₡3,333

108.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.85

$10.52 ₡4,717

-26.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 €10.70

$13.97 ₡6,265

-13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$2.35 ₡1,052

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.61 ₡720

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$4.80 ₡2,152

-65.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.61 ₡724

52.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.80 ₡1,703

-59.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$3.69 ₡1,657

-57.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.13 ₡507

7.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.55 €4.93

$5.18 ₡2,321

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.77 €6.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.92

$2.90 ₡1,300

-64.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$3.63 ₡1,626

-57.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.12 ₡504

95.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.23 €9.99

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-84.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 €1.63

$2.14 ₡958

-14.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.57 ₡703

-26.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.38 €19.90

$8.52 ₡3,823

162.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.52 ₡682

15.79%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.7K €31.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.7K €25.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-16.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$159 €142

$96.3 ₡43.2K

65.60%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.79 €9.60

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-69.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.07 €21.41

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-55.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.67 €39.73

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.66 €29.94

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-3.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 €8.51

$7.89 ₡3,539

21.29%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$382 €339

$494 ₡221.6K

-22.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,812 €8,728

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-17.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 €55.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

15.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.67 €31.72

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-35.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 €62.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-10.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 €73.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €949

$788 ₡353.4K

35.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$794 ₡356.2K

1.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,727 €1,536

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-56.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 €1,135

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-10.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,540 €3,149

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-48.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,684 €2,387

$1,224 ₡549.0K

119.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,809 €1,609

$864 ₡387.3K

109.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

8.62

-61.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Fuengirola: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Fuengirola

$806 47.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 1.5% $12

Groceries & Markets

Fuengirola

$250 14.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 41% $102

Eating Out

Fuengirola

$233 13.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 9.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fuengirola

$194 11.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 4.4% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Fuengirola

$112 6.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 6.9% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Fuengirola

$64 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 36.9% $24

Getting Around

Fuengirola

$28 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 215% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,066 in Fuengirola versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 110% higher in Fuengirola, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Fuengirola versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Fuengirola vs $352 in Nosara – so Fuengirola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Fuengirola

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

12:11 12:11 PM

8 h behind Fuengirola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,598

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fuengirola Nosara 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Fuengirola
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Fuengirola vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,687 in Fuengirola, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,531 per month in Fuengirola and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fuengirola, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $382 per month in Fuengirola and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Fuengirola, where all-in costs run around $1,687, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Fuengirola it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,687 in Fuengirola to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Fuengirola. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.